Art of producing aluminium and other metals.



} PATENTED DEC. a, 1907. H. s. BLAGKMORE.

ART OF PRODUCING ALUMINIUM AND OTHER METALS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23.1904.

avwanfoz Q/vihmowo residing at Mount Vernon, in the Westchester and State of New York, have com lished' economically as compared with either the metal or carbon content, or both,

TE SAT- ART OF PRODIl'CING: ALUMINIUM AND OTHER BETALS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Original-application filed April 18. 1903. Serial No. 153.329. Dividedand this application filed September 2351904.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it, known that I, HENRY SPENCER BLAoKMoRE, a citizen .of the United States, county ofinvented new and useful Improvements in Art of Producing Aluminium and other Metals, of which the following is a specification, the same being a division'of my application filed April 18, 1903, Serial No. 153,329.

The object of my invention'is to reduce metal from its compounds ,or compositions by thermo-chemical means and perform electrolysis of compounds in such a manner that a saving ofelectric current is eiiected and the, electrolysis is facilitated and; ac-

met ods employed hereto, and consists in emplo as electrodes substances containing meta and carbon, either as carbid, acetylid or other union, in which condition have a natural affinity for the electro-negative constituents of the com ound to be electrolyzed, which afiinity, w en exercised during electrolysis, augments the applied electric current to such a degree that the process may becarried on readily with great saving.

As an illustration of my invention, I will take for exam le the reduction of aluminium from its oxyuorid or mixture of oxid and fluorid. I place a mixture of aluminium oxid and fluorid in a carbon lined reduction pot such as is usually employed for electric smelting and pass va currentof electricity therethrough, .employingl-as anode calcium carbid which is readily produced at high temperatures in an electric furnace by revious treatment. As the current ofe ectricity passesthrough the mixture of aluminium oxid and fluorid it assumes a molten condition which fluidity may be increased by addition of calcium chlorid; when the mass has assumed a fluid condition, electrolysis commences, the electro-negative constituents, fiuorin and oxygenbeing liberated at the anode and aluminium at the cathode which constitutes the interior of the reduction pot or receptacle. The fluorin and oxygen liberated at the anode immediately combine -with the calcium carbid, producing carbonic oxid which escapes as a gas, and calcium .fluorid, liberating metallic as covered by my United States Patent 699,282.

1 can substitute other metal carbid or any other practical carbid for the calcium carbid ,without departing from the spirit of my invention which consists in employing a metal carbid or its equivalent as electrode in the reduction of metals from their compounds.

The anode may consist t. mixture of calcium orother carbidwith carbon or other binder, or'may consist wholly of the ,carbid; the essential feature being that the electrode jcontains a carbid of some form. Instead of metal oxy-fluorid or its equivalent, 1 can employ any other oxy-haloid or any substance containing metal and two or more electronegative elements, or a metal oxid per se, so long as" the electro-negative elements are capable of'combining with the elements of thei carbid electrode.

The apparatus which I prefer to employ v in carrying out my process for reducing 1 metals, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan or top View; Fig. '2 is a transverse vertical section; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Referring to the drawing, the letter A designates a box or receptacle preferably of cast-iron, lined with a conductive substance B, such as carbon. The material to be reduced is introduced into the apparatus through the openings E which are closed by the insulating covers or lugs F passing into the insulating .cover X through which passes the electrode G which consists of or contains a carbid and is adapted to be employed as anode during the" process of electro-chemical reduction.

- In the operation of the process I place in the receptacle Z a quantity of aluminium oxid and aluminium fluorid and fuse the same by passing a current of electricity there- 'through between the carbon lining of the receptacle B and .the electrode G, having first started an electric are between the same by placing them in contact and gradually separating them, and feed the aluminium oxid and aluminium fluorid in at intervals as it fuses and continue to add the mixture until the interior of the ap aratus has been sufficiently filled; I then a d to the'molt'en content a small quantity of calcium chlorid to assist the fluidity of the mixture and on continuing the current a reducing action is set up between the carbid contained in the electrode G, such as calcium carbid, and the electro-negative constituents fluorin andoxygen of the aluminium fluorid and oxid supplied thereto are removed, the fluorin combining with the calcium of the calcium carbid and the oxygen with the carbon trolysis. 5 5

thereof, at the same time separating metallic aluminium which accumulates in the bottom of the apparatus and is withdrawn from time to time through theta -hole H by removing the tap-hole plug The carbon oxid evolved during the reduction by combination of the carbon of the anode G with;

carbon of any atomicity, be it a normal carbid, or acetylid, so long as the carbon comound exists in a form capable of being utilwed in accordance with the process as herein set forth.

I am'aware that electrodes of calcium carbid have been emplo ed in aqueous solutions during the process 0 electrolysis for the purose of ene) an additive and substitution roducts thereof by secondary reaction of t e anion and cathion thereon. The process involved in this operation, however, is not one for yielding metal as hereinbefore set forth, for the reason that a carbid is yielded by the decomposition of the compound b action of the calciumcarbid and that this carbid is transformed into other com ounds by the action of the electroositive e ement, namely hydrogen, transient y evolved during elec- In other words there is no yield of hydrogen during electrolysis as the same is taken up in its nascent form and transformed by the action of the h drogen carbid (acetylene), produced, toget er with the surround ing fluids. 1

t will be noted that my process consists in yielding metal from compounds containing the same by the action of a metal carbid capable of abstracting the electro-negative. constituents therefrom, and an electric current, which electric current has'the property new anodes G and fresh (producing hydrogen carbid (acety- B'msse of bringing the ingredients to a condition ca able of reaction. v

aving now described my invention, what I claim as new-and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of producing metal which consists in exposing a substance containing the metal to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a carbid of a different metal decomposableby an ingredient of the substance employed and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

2.- The process of producing metal which cons1sts in exposing a compound contaimng the metal to e ectrolysis, While employing an electrode containing a more electro-positive metal carbid decomposable by an ingredientof the substance employed and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

3. The process of producing metal which consists in exposing a substance containing metal and. two or more non-metallic elements to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a carbid of a different metal decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

4. The process of producing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing metal, oxygen, and a haloid,'to electrolysis, while employing 'an electrode containing a carbid of a different metal decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom. l

,5. The process of producing metal, which consists in exposing a substance containing a metal and oxygen to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a carbid of a difierent metal decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom.

6. The process of producing metal which consists in exposing a compound containing metal and one or more electronegative elements capable of reacting with a carbid'to yield metal to electrolysis, while employing an anode containing a carbid of a metal more electro-positive than the metal of the substance to be reduced.

7. The process of producing metal, which consists in fusing a compound containing a metal and one or more electro-ncgativc elements, and exposing it to the action of a carbid of a diflerent metal capable of liberating metal therefrom and an electric current.

8. The process ofproducing metals, which consists in fusing a compound containing a metal and one or more electro-negative eloments, and exposing it ,to the combined action of a carbid of a different metal capaelectric current.

9. The process of produclng metal which consists in passlng an electric current ble of liberating metal therefrom, and an through a mass containing a metal'and one or more electro-negative elements, together with a carbid of an element more electropositive than the metal desired said carbid being capable of liberating metal therefrom. 10. The process of producing metal, which consists in exposing a compound of metal with one or more electro-negative elements, while in contact with a carbid of a different metal decomposable thereby and capable of liberating metal therefrom, to the action of an electric current.

11. The process of producing aluminium, which conslsts in exposing a substance containing the same to the combined action of an electrode of a carbid of a different metal capable of liberating metal therefrom and an electric current.

12. The process of producin which consists in exposing a su t aluminium stance containing the same capable of yielding aluminium by action of a carbid to the combined action of an electrode of calcium carbid and an electric current.

13. The process of producing aluminium, which consists in exposing a substance containing aluminium, oxygen, and a haloid,

1 to electrolysis, while employing an electrode containing a carbid of a different metal decomposable thereby.

14. The process of producing aluminium which consists in exposing a substance containing aluminium, fluorin, and oxygen, to the action of an electrode of calcium carbid and an electric current. V

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY SPENCER BLACKMOR-E.

Witnesses:

J. R. NOTTINGHAM, C. C. WRIGHT. 

